Light on Darkness - by Cosima Clara Gillhammer (Hardcover)

About the Book

"With implications for the history of religion and art alike, an exploration of the lasting influence of Christian liturgy across a range of media. Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy offers a captivating journey through the history of religious rituals in Western Europe, showcasing the profound impact of Christian liturgy on art, literature, music, and architecture. Through ten evocative stories, it explores medieval rituals and their cultural influence up to the present day, providing fresh insights into the enduring legacy of the liturgy as an expression of human emotion and religious experience. Accessible to all, this guide provides translations and explanations to uncover the hidden treasures of ancient rites and their lasting significance, appealing to those seeking a deeper understanding of Western liturgical traditions."--

Book Synopsis

With implications for the history of religion and art alike, an exploration of the lasting influence of Christian liturgy across a range of media.

Light on Darkness: The Untold Story of the Liturgy offers a captivating journey through the history of religious rituals in Western Europe, showcasing the profound impact of Christian liturgy on art, literature, music, and architecture. Through ten evocative stories, it explores medieval rituals and their cultural influence up to the present day, providing fresh insights into the enduring legacy of the liturgy as an expression of human emotion and religious experience. Accessible to all, this guide provides translations and explanations to uncover the hidden treasures of ancient rites and their lasting significance, appealing to those seeking a deeper understanding of Western liturgical traditions.

Review Quotes

"Exploring the liturgy and its associated rituals and demonstrating not only how it has informed and inspired every kind of art and culture for centuries, but also how it embodies and illuminates the profoundest of human ideas and emotions."--Mathew Lyons "The Broken Compass"

"A wonderful articulation of why there 'lives the dearest freshness' deep down in these old liturgies. The premise of her book is simple. Despite the slovenly and self-indulgent preference of our own age for dressed-down informality, we are still in desperate need of ritual and form. . . . The value of Gillhammer's book is that it reminds us."-- "The Critic"

"Gillhammer's new book about the liturgy may well foster a renewed appreciation for what has, for many, become routine; Light on Darkness has certainly taken its place on my list of books to recommend to anyone curious to learning more about the Christian Faith."-- "Catholic Herald"

"Gillhammer's fresh history text Light on Darkness shows how Christian liturgy shaped Western civilization. . . . The book takes a multidisciplinary approach to trace how liturgical rites performed in seasonal cycles informed and shaped human lives through relatable stories and enactments. Drawing on medieval manuscripts, ancient artworks, and liturgical texts, it unpacks the metaphors and meanings found therein, translates them for a modern audience, and links them to contemporary writings, music, art, and drama. . . . Enlightening."-- "Foreword"

"This book tells a story that needs to be heard. In part, it is historical, but what Gillhammer's Light on Darkness achieves is much more than this. Written in an engaging style, it ranges broadly, drawing and showing connections between the Church's poetry and wider culture and life."-- "Church Times"

"The rituals of Christian liturgy have survived the centuries, Gillhammer believes, because they express something central to human experience, having a powerful effect on believers and non-believers alike. Indeed, she claims, the liturgy stands at the very centre of the cultural history of the West. Yet nowadays this fact is appreciated only by a relatively small number of believers, while for most people it stands as a well-kept secret. Gillhammer seeks to share that secret broadly. Her admiration of the vast body of art and thought generated by the essentials of Christian ritual is conveyed with great success. This attractive and elegantly written book is well-designed for non-specialist readers, and richly deserves wide interest and appreciation."--Alastair Minnis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor Emeritus of English, Yale University, and Professor Emeritus of Medieval Studies and English, University of York

"A beautiful book that gives voice to our deepest human need for ritual and meaning. Through scripture, art, music, poetry and liturgical theology, Gillhammer retells the story of Christian worship through sign and symbol, affirming the place of the liturgy in the modern world and as a gift that continues to shape our culture and our imagination."--Victoria Johnson, Dean of Chapel, St John's College, Cambridge

"This is a superb book. Gillhammer writes with great sensitivity and imagination, skilfully demonstrating how over many centuries the rituals and songs of the liturgy have shaped and given voice to the deepest emotions of human experience. Insightful, accessible and often moving, this book is a wonderful guide to the liturgy, its rich history and its lasting influence on modern culture."--Eleanor Parker, lecturer in medieval English literature at Brasenose College, Oxford, and author of "Winters in the World"

About the Author

Cosima Clara Gillhammer is career development fellow in English at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. She teaches and researches medieval literature, culture, and liturgy. Her books include A Late-Medieval History of the Ancient and Biblical World.